Should have considerable teaching done in clinic before reporting for routine surgery
Verify knowledge
Using medical terms= suspicious
Ensure actual knowledge, not administrative knowledge
Documentation!
Handouts
Contact info
Nurse’s role:
Patient interview for knowledge assessment
Teaching as necessary
Documentation of teaching
Facilitation of physician teaching where required
Refer to physician instead of estimations
Ensure caregiver knowledge
Pitfalls:
Risks undersold by team
Patient underestimates impact of surgery
Patient distraction during teaching – pain
Caregiver not present
Desire to comfort can alter conversation
Sugar coating is not helpful
Examples:
Patient reporting for gastric bypass mentions “I’m so glad I’m done with that diet now”(bariatric diet will be for life, red flag city)
Patient with implants consents to MRI later in life (catastrophic education deficit!!!)
Patients poor compliance to regimen alters healing
Linchpins (Key Points):
The patient and family will be required to pick up their own healthcare after surgery, and need the tools to do so effectively with the right decisions.